Fish Door Hanger
My son has gone through so many cans of Bellamy’s Organic Formula. The cans get thrown into the recycling bin. However, I have been religiously keeping the plastic lids and the aluminum foil seals with the hope of one day finding some use for them. Today, I was staring at one the aluminum foil seals and I tried to imagine what it could be. And I saw a fish, the Bellamy Fish i call it.
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Fish Door Hanger
repurposed aluminum foil seal
crafted by Paulina Constancia
Since aluminum foil and tin have similar characteristics I thought I would attempt to mimic Hojalata (the traditional tin art of Mexico). In 1999, while on a creative self-exile in the town of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico, I took a tin art class at the Centro Cultural de Bellas Artes “El Nigromante”. I was in awe of the infinite potential of the medium, however up until today have not really used any of the techniques or aesthetics that I learned from that class.
San Miguel de Allende is an arts and crafts town, anywhere you look there are artisans at work. It was inspiring to get the chance to be surrounded by so much art. Mexicans in general are hardworking and enterprising. On top of that they are warm and welcoming. It is not uncommon to see a sign at the door that says “Mi casa es su casa” (which literally means ‘my house is your house’ or as we say it in English ‘Make yourself at home’).In most cases, they mean it!
You’ll need…
2 aluminum foil seals/lids
ball-point pen
scissors
yarn
acrylic paint
fine black marker (Sharpie)
clear lacquer spray
Let’s Begin…
- Fold the foil edge over all the way around so that no sharp edges are exposed.
- Draw the details of the fish around one of the aluminum foil seals using a fine marker.
- Using a ball-point pen, apply pressure while tracing design details of the fish to create tin art look.
- Paint at least two coats.
- Cut the “Mi Casa es su casa” plate and the heart out of the second aluminum foil seal. Follow the process we did for the fish.
- Let all three pieces dry completely.
- In a well ventilated area, apply one coat of clear lacquer on all three aluminum pieces.
- Once dry,you may add some design details with the fine Sharpie.
- Punch tiny holes where you want to pass the yarn. Knot all three pieces together in this order: fish, plate,heart. Tie a hanging loop at the top of heart piece.
- Your Bellamy Fish is now ready to hang at your door.
Warning: May result to more surprise visits from family, friends and strangers. So hang only if you mean what it says..hahahaha!
DAILY DOSE OF ART 
Knock….knock!!! :)I love it! and I regret not visiting you in San Miguel de Allende 😦
Maybe one day we can travel to San Miguel de Allende together. :>)